Interfaces are used to provide a user with a means of visualizing information on a display screen. There are some universally desirable features of the interface regardless of the application. It should enable the user to navigate and browse through the information quickly. It should be visually compelling and interactive to allow the user to effortlessly manipulate the visualization. Finally, it should be an intuitive interface.
The type of user interface is generally determined by the manner in which the interface represents the information displayed on the system screen. For instance, one simple well-known interface represents a plurality of data objects (i.e., word processing documents, images, video clips) as icons and textual labels. In this case, the interface is designed so as to allow easy manipulation and intuitive viewing of the icons. For instance, this type of interface allows a user to cut/paste/copy an icon from one place to another in the display or allows a user to change the manner in which the icons and labels are viewed (i.e., as a listing of files or groups of icons). This type of interface often has a “find” option that will search for and find specific files. Other well-known word processing interfaces display a text document or image document and allow a user to edit and compose a document or image. This type of user interface often includes a menu that provides the user with different options for editing, viewing, and formatting the document being displayed.
Three-dimensional graphical interfaces display information within a three-dimensional graphical (or virtual) environment to allow viewing of and navigation through information in an intuitive and immersive manner. Since people are physically accustomed to navigating through and viewing objects in a real three-dimensional world, a three-dimensional graphical environment becomes an intuitive, immersive, and natural environment to the user. Often, the information that is represented by the three-dimensional interface is a large database of data objects. The interface displays the data objects as representative images within the three-dimensional graphical environment and then provides the user the ability to navigate within the virtual environment to view the representative images and interact with the corresponding data objects. As can be imagined, if the environment is not displayed in an organized or logical manner or if the user's ability to navigate through the environment is limited or awkward, the advantages of using a three-dimensional interface are significantly diminished. In fact, an ineffectual three-dimensional interface could more easily frustrate than assist a user.
The present invention is a three-dimensional graphical interface providing advantageous user movement and control within the three-dimensional graphical environment as well as manners in which to display the environment.